Pam and Scarlet pulled up to Pam’s childhood home approximately two hours since they started their trip from Scranton. Pam jumped out of the car and quickly unbuckled Scarlet and ran towards the front porch. Before she could ring the door bell, half of her family was out the door to greet her and Scarlet.

Pam’s mother immediately hugged Pam and then pulled Scarlet into a hug full of giggles and tickles. Soon, Pam was reunited with her brother, Phillip, his lovely wife, Samantha and their two children, Nicole and Abby. Then, her father came out to the porch and enveloped her into a hug and also found his way to Scarlet armed with a wet-willie.

"How are you, my dear?" her father asked, bending on one knee with Scarlet and looking up at Pam.

Pam sighed. "Good, dad. It seems like the last few miles get longer and longer when I’m coming home. But, we’re here," Pam said, patting the top of Scarlet’s head.

"And, you say that your man will be arriving later this week?" he father asked, with a squint in his eye.

Pam nodded. "Yup. He’s got this meeting in NYC this week. He’s coming as soon as he can."

Pam’s mother chimed in. "Good. I can’t wait to see that Jim," she said, taking her daughters hand and pulling her inside the house where the bride to be came hustling down the stairs.

----

Meanwhile, in New York, Jim sat in a large conference room full of the other Dunder Mifflin managers, corporate big wigs and one monotone instructor that just so happened to be long winded, too. Jim couldn’t help but try and stifle his yawns.

He knew he didn’t rest well the night before. Pam’s outburst in the kitchen about Scarlet and suckers made him uneasy. He had no clue why Pam was acting awkward all the sudden. He soon dropped his suspicions and listened to the speaker ramble on.

----

Pam hugged tightly to her cousin. "How are you? Ready for the big day?" she asked.

Jessica, a dainty, sweet, and gorgeous young woman blushed. "I’m good. I’m so ready."

"I can’t believe you’re getting married," Pam exclaimed. "Let alone to someone that I haven’t met yet."

Jessica and Pam walked towards the kitchen were the rest of the family was congregating. Scarlet already had a cookie in her hand and was being held by Pam’s father. Her uncle Phil reached his hand around every now and then to tickle her under her arm as his two toe-headed little girls looked on.

"He’s as good as any guy, Pam. Well, the best, actually…" Jessica said, placing a piece of cookie in her mouth and smirking.

Pam giggled. "Every woman thinks that their husbands that best until the new wears off," Pam said, taking a seat next to Jessica at the counter. Pam’s mother joined them and soon shooed the men out of the room to watch a game on television. Samantha entertained the girls with a set of crayons from the kitchen drawer as the ladies chatted.

"Oh, come on, Pam. Don’t you think that your hubby is the best?" Samantha added.

Pam rolled her eyes. "Of course I think he’s the best…but, I’ve come to realize that he isn’t all glamour and ‘knight in shining armor’ all the time." Samantha nodded in agreement.

Jessica grabbed another cookie from the plate in front of her. "Explain," she inquired, with a mouth full of cookie.

Samantha held a hand up to stop Pam. "Wait. I’ve met Jim. He’s charming. Since when has it not been the ‘knight in shining armor’ fairytale? I mean he did try and sweep you off your feet with Roy and then once you were freed from Neil- God rest his soul- he swept you off your feet again. It’s just like a movie," Samantha said, as Pam shook her head with her mother staring on.

Jessica smiled. "See. You don’t have it bad. We’ve all met Jim at the wedding and he’s great."

Pam pulled the cookie plate over towards her and then looked behind her to check on Scarlet still coloring away. "You all say that now. But, you don’t know him like I do."

"What’s so bad about him?" Samantha scoffed. "At least he isn’t anything like your brother," she said, rolling her eyes.

Pam broke her cookie in two. "Jim is the type of guy that follows the ‘five second rule’ like it’s a commandment, leaves his towels on the bathroom floor, would rather give Scarlet sweets instead of a healthy meal, and still loves getting up and watching Saturday morning cartoons with a bowl of fruit loops resting on his stomach. There's more than that, but you know..I'll stop there."

The girls all chuckled. "You’re lucky," Samantha added. "Phil is the type that clips his toe nails and doesn’t pick up the clippings. Talk about a turn off," she said, looking at Mrs. Beesly. "Sorry," she said to her mother in law. Pam then spoke under her breath, "At least you get him to actually clip his toe nails. When we were kids, we’d have to pin him down."

Mrs. Beesly laughed. "Okay, young girls, listen. I’ve been married for almost forty years and it’s never going to be perfect. So…just suck it up," she said, smiling.

Jessica piped back into the conversation. "Well, my Davie is perfect. No comparison. Just wait ‘til you meet him, Pam."

Mrs. Beesly chuckled. "Honey, when I talk your mother next year to check up on you, she’ll probably fill me in on how many times she had to bail you out over the phone. Just don’t expect too much from the poor fellow," she said to Jessica, who looked a little shell shocked. "You’re gonna give him a heart attack," Mrs. Beesly said with a chuckle.

Jessica then stood from the counter and pulled her phone from her pocket. "Speaking of Dave, I should probably find out when he’s gonna show up. He’s always running late," she said, pulling the phone up to her ear and stepping out of the kitchen.

Samantha turned to Pam once Jessica cleared the room and whispered, "Dave is a nice guy. She’s really lucky. You’ll love him."

Pam nodded. "Good. I was hoping she would find someone worth keeping," she said, stuffing the rest of her cookie into her mouth.

----

After dinner, Jessica ran in to Pam’s old bedroom where Pam was tucking Scarlet in for the night.

"Hey, Dave’s here. You want to meet him?" Jessica asked, quietly.

Pam nodded and then looked down at Scarlet and back to where Jessica stood in the doorway. "Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute. I need to give goodnight kisses," she said with a smile.

Jessica smiled. "Okay. We’ll be downstairs."

Once Jessica had left the room, Pam pushed the covers under Scarlet’s chin and pressed her lips to her forehead. Scarlet looked up through her eyelashes and asked, "Mom, is Jim gonna be here tonight?"

Pam shook her head. "Nope. He’s all by his lonesome in New York."

"So, he’s not going to give me good night kisses, too?" Scarlet asked, looking saddened.

"I’m afraid not. But, I’m sure he’ll make it up to you," Pam replied, her heart breaking just a little bit. "How 'bout I give you extra kisses tonight since he's not here?" Pam asked.

Scarlet smiled and nodded and Pam leaned down and laid a few more kisses on Scarlet's face. She then closed her eyes tight as Pam got up to leave. "Good night, Mom. If you talk to Jim, tell him I said good night too," she stated, her voice getting softer.

"Okay, baby. Love you," Pam said, walking towards the door. She turned and looked at her daughter snuggled up tight in her old room, in her old bed, and probably her old sheets too. She smiled to herself and closed the door slowly.

Once she made her way down the stairs, Jessica was standing in the living room with a tall, dark-haired, man in a brown suit jacket and jeans. Pam’s heart skipped a beat as she almost thought it was Jim standing there. Although, Dave’s shoulders weren’t as broad as Jims and his hair was fairly darker, Pam still felt like it could have been Jim standing in the living room.

"Pam, this is Davie," Jessica said, pulling on his arm.

Pam stood and smiled. She held out her hand to shake his. "Nice to meet you, Davie-"

"You don’t have to call me Davie," he said, looking at Jessica. "That’s Jessica’s nickname for me. It’s Dave. Or David. Or Dah-veed, if your of Spanish speaking descent," he said with a chuckle.

"Oh okay," Pam said, giggling. He even had a sense of humor just like Jims. "Dave it is. I’ve heard so much about you. It’s nice to finally see who she’s talking about."

He glanced over at Jessica. "She’s ashamed of me. That’s why I’m just now meeting her extended family-" he joked as Jessica slapped him on the arm with a grin spread across her face.

"Sure," Jessica said, rolling her eyes.

Dave shifted on his feet. "So, you’re the mother of the adorable Scarlet," he said, pointing at Pam with a grin. "I’ve seen her picture many times. It‘s hanging on our fridge."

Pam blushed a little. "Yeah, that’s me. I’m the one that brought her into this world," she said, smiling.

"Well, she’s gorgeous. I can’t wait to meet her," he said.

"She’ll be excited to meet you too. You look and act a lot like her dad," Pam said, with another smile.

Jessica furrowed her brow. "Neil? No way. Neil was….Neil. No way is Davie anything like Neil was-" Jessica stated before being interrupted by Pam.

"No, I mean Jim."

Dave looked confused. "You don’t know who Scarlet’s dad is?" he asked, looking slightly shocked.

Pam flushed again and cracked a smile. "No! I know who her father is!" she said, almost laughing at their lost faces looking back at her. "I was widowed. I married my best friend about six months ago and he adopted her. So…."

"So, you didn’t mean Neil. Good." Jessica said, touching Dave’s arm lightly.

Pam looked to the floor. She may have had a bad relationship with Neil, but she didn’t need anyone to remind her. She had enough reminders everyday.

"So, how is Scarlet dealing with the whole change?" Dave asked, looking intrigued.

Jessica looked over at him and smirked. She then looked back at Pam. "He’s a family counselor. He’s a little nosey."

Dave smiled. "Sorry. I’m always interested in split families and these types of situations. That’s my job."

Pam played with her ring on her finger. "Good. She uh…she seemed to take to Jim well. I think he’s best for her. He’s a great dad. I mean, she just asked me upstairs if he was coming home tonight to give her a bedtime kiss. They’re like…two peas in a pod," Pam rambled, as she found herself getting teary-eyed.

Dave nodded. "You’ve been married how long?"

"Like…six months," she said, looking towards the ceiling, as if it helped her to remember.

"Are you planning on more children?" he asked, then waved his hands in front of him. "Sorry, I’m probably getting too personal. I’ll just stop now…" Dave said.

Pam smiled. "No, you’re fine. More kids? Yeah, we’re workin’ on that," she said, a smile spreading across her face. Jessica jumped and squealed as the words left Pam’s mouth.

Jessica grabbed Pam and hugged her. Pam just stood still looking shocked.

"Wow! A baby? I cannot wait for you to have another baby!" she yelped.

Pam’s eyes were wide. "I mean, I’m not gonna go into detail about anything right now, but we both really want another…and it's a possibility..." Pam said, trailing off and wringing her hands. Jessica’s eyes got wider and she gasped. "What?" Pam asked, looking guilty.

Jessica slapped a hand over her mouth. Pam asked ‘what’ again as she took a step back.

"You’re pregnant now aren’t you?" she asked, taking a step back of her own. Dave put a hand on Jessica’s shoulder.

He said quietly, "You’re just assuming things. Stop overanalyzing everything, Jess."

Jessica stepped away from his touch, still looking intently at Pam. "You’re gonna have another kid, aren’t you?" she asked again, this time in lower tone.

Pam flushed. She twirled her ring on her finger again, willing it to take her away from the conversation. When that didn’t happen, she opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. .

Jessica squealed again. "Oh. My. Gosh!" she screamed, as she ran towards Pam and held her in a hug again.

Pam was flustered. What just happened, she thought. She started rambling. "It’s not for sure. I haven’t told anyone. Not even Jim. I haven’t even been to the doctor yet…I’m not sure…it‘s all so new…."

Jessica was giddily holding onto Pam’s hand and making noises of excitement. Her face was so lit up, Pam thought it might explode.

Pam’s mother came into the room as she heard all the excitement. "What’s going on?" her mother asked, looking confused.

Pam squeezed tight to Jessica’s hand, hoping she wouldn’t blurt it out before she knew for sure or even, before she told Jim. But, Pam’s attempt to keep her from spilling the beans was foiled by Jessica’s over-excitement.

"Pam’s pregnant!" she screamed at Mrs. Beesly.

Pam’s mother’s jaw dropped and she stood still in her place. Pam waved her hands in front of her to try and keep her mother from yelling as well.

"Mom! It’s not for sure and Jim doesn’t know!"

Her mother’s eyes welled up with tears. Pam walked towards her and took her hands in her own. She looked her in the eyes. "Mom, I haven’t told anyone yet and I haven’t even been to the doctor. Promise me you won’t tell a soul. I need your word," Pam said, seriously.

Pam’s mother nodded then gave Pam a hug. "Why haven’t you told Jim?" she asked, as the pulled away from their embrace.

"I just…couldn’t. I wanted to. I thought about it but it just didn’t seem like the right time. I’ll tell him when I know for sure," Pam answered, still holding on to her mother’s warm hands.

Her mother smiled. Jessica and Dave stood behind Pam, smiling as well. Her mother spoke again, "Well, I’m really happy for you. But, you need to tell him. He would want to be included in this moment too, Pam," her mother said, before turning and heading back into the kitchen.

Pam then yelled after her, "Not a soul, Mom!"

----

Jim laid in his bed in his hotel room across from the corporate offices. He had no interest in the television or logging on to the web. He just laid there, looking up at the ceiling, thinking about all the things that happened at the meetings today.

When David Wallace pulled him aside and requested a private meeting with him, he felt a weight being put on his shoulders. And once the meeting was over, Jim felt a heavier weight forcing him into the ground.

Jim’s mind reeled as he thought about the possibilities with Dunder Mifflin. Soon, his thought process was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone in his pocket. He lazily grabbed at it, pulling it from the confines of his pants.

With his voice tired and gravelly, he answered, "Hello, Pam."

"Were you sleeping?" she asked, sounding exhausted herself.

"Nope. Just laying here….thinking," he said, loosening his tie as he stared back up at the white ceiling.

Jim could hear her smile over the other line. "So, you must be exhausted. All that…thinking…" she said sarcastically.

Her words brought a smile to his lips. "It’s tough work," he said, playing along. He loved that.

"Uh, huh," she said.

"Hey. At least when I think I don’t smell wood burning. I can always tell when you’re in deep thought. It smells like a fireplace at Christmas time," he joked as he pulled his tie over his head.

"Hey!" she said, sounding insulted.

Jim chuckled. "I’m just kidding, babe. You’re thoughts smell like…roses," he said, chuckling.

Pam giggled too. "Wow. Are you drunk or high? Because…I’ve never heard that phrase before. ‘You’re thoughts smell like roses,’" she mocked.

"You’re right, I should really lay off the crack."

Pam was amused. "Yes, you should."

"So, how’s my kid doin’?" Jim asked, shaking his coat off of his shoulders. He heard Pam sigh over the phone before answering.

"She’s good. She asked where you were. You missed goodnight kisses."

"I know. I wish I could get some goodnight kisses of my own right about now," he said, sitting up slightly.

"I’d be more than happy to oblige when I see you…"

Jim sarcastically answered, "No…from Scarlet. Not you."

"I see," she answered, obviously thrown by his sarcastic comeback.

"Yet again, I’m just joking. You know I would rather be there instead of this boring hotel room," he said, looking around and noticing all the stark and bland wall art and furniture.

"Oh, please. You were dying to get out of the house. I haven’t exactly been Mrs. Cleaver the past few days."

"So…true. Maybe I’ll just stay here," he joked, as his eyes lazily shut.

Jim could hear Pam’s voice take a more serious tone. "I’m really sorry. I’ve just got some things on my mind and I haven’t had a great week. Please, just…ignore my behavior."

Jim furrowed his brow. "What’s the matter, Pam?" He needed to know what her problem was. If she can’t tell me, then what good am I as a husband, he thought.

"Oh, nothing. I mean…I guess I’m just stressed."

"About what?" he asked, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. Pam was silent for a few moments. He asked again, "What’s wrong, Pam?"

"Uh, nothing."

Jim felt himself getting upset. He tried his best to control his temper but it seemed to be a combination of frustration and pure exhaustion that caused him to snap. "Okay, Pam. When you want to include me in your life, you know my number," he said, shocking himself.

He heard her sigh again. He thought she was probably frustrated too. "Jim."

"Pam," he said, mocking her tone.

"I’m…just…I don’t know…"

"Seriously. I don’t understand why you can’t tell me what’s wrong. What’s the big deal? It’s probably nothing major…unless you’re cheating on me and you’re moving out, then I don’t really want to know the details…" he started, only being about thirty percent serious.

"Jim. I’m not cheating on you," she said, stifling a giggle. "There is no way I would leave you."

"Good. If that’s not the problem, then what is?" he asked again, hoping she would fess up.

"Uh, okay...um, I have some...uh, how was your meeting?" she asked, trying to obviously change the subject.

"Nice try. I guess our conversation is over. Night, Pam."

"Jim," she said, almost begging him to stay on the line.

"I’ll talk to you in the morning. How about that? You think you’ll be ready to share then?"

"Come on…" she whined.

Jim rubbed a hand over his face. "I don’t think I can take this secrecy thing much longer. This is just frustrating. We kept things from each other for how long? And, look how that ended up."

"Hey, we’re together. That’s all that matters."

"Yeah, but we were about ten years late. So, really, I’ll let you go. When you’re ready to share why we’ve been at each others throats, then give me a call. If not, then I’ll see you in two days."

"I love you, Jim," she said, accepting that he wasn’t going to give up.

"Love you too. Tell Scarlet I love her. Night," he said, before she said goodnight and slapped the phone shut.